


On The Track

by Linisen



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Reality Show, Based on the Swedish game show ‘På Spåret’, Chef Victor Nikiforov, Editor Katsuki Yuuri, Explicit Sexual Content, Falling In Love, Flirting, I’m terrible, Journalist Katsuki Yuuri, Love Confessions, M/M, Mutual Pining, Sharing a Bed, Smitten Katsuki Yuuri, Strangers to Friends to Lovers, Yes I can’t believe I wrote another Reality TV AU, game show au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-07
Updated: 2021-03-06
Packaged: 2021-03-13 03:13:48
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,486
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29894748
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Linisen/pseuds/Linisen
Summary: Journalist and newspaper editor Yuuri Katsuki get asked to participate in his favorite game show, ‘On The Track’. It’s a game show where two celebrities pair up, get placed in a replica of a train cart, and try to figure out what destination they’re traveling towards. Yuuri eagerly accepts, only then to find out he’s been paired with the incredibly handsome Victor Nikiforov, famous Chef with several TV shows, and even more Michelin stars for his sixteen restaurants around the world.
Relationships: Katsuki Yuuri/Victor Nikiforov
Comments: 28
Kudos: 84





	On The Track

**Author's Note:**

> his story is based on the Swedish Game Show ‘På Spåret/On the Track’. If you want to know more about it you can follow this link (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/På_spåret) to the English Wiki page. It’s a question based show, where teams of two compete against other teams. I’ve done my best with fact checking the questions, but there’s only so much one can do. Please excuse me if I got something wrong. More about the game show will be explained in the fic.  
> This story has five chapters and will update weekly.  
> I hope you’ll enjoy it! 
> 
> Hugs  
> Lini

Yuuri sighed as he looked up at the large sign over the restaurant, wondering if he had made a mistake. When he had gotten the call about participating in the famous game show ‘On The Track’, he had been oddly excited. The producer had caught him on a good day, and Yuuri - who might have dreamt about participating ever since he was young and watched the show with his parents - had felt a sense of anticipation grow in his chest. Yuuri might not be the most knowledgeable, but as a former foreighn correspondent he had gained a fair amount of information on the world. His position as one of the editors for The Times had only heighetend that. He didn’t have any claims as if he would manage to get past the first round, but Yuuri was competitive and stubborn, so who knew. With a good partner it could be done. 

The show had been running for almost thirty years now, and was one of the most popular. It had changed host and judge fairly recently, bringing in a younger crowd but still keeping the old, at least as far as Yuuri knew. 

Teams of two celebrities compete against another pair, first in a group round with three pairs, then through a semi-final and then a final. There were always three groups of three teams. The show consisted of the participants being shown filmed journeys, often filmed at the front of the train, and for them to try to identify the destination. Throughout the journey, the teams were given clues which became easier and easier, marking ten points, eight, six, four and then two, before the train arrived. 

The participants sat in what looked like a train cabin, and to answer had to pull the emergency brake hanging from the roof. After arriving at the destination, the teams got to answer questions about the city to collect more points. Three destinations were featured in each episode, as well as a special round between destination two and three. This segment was called ‘Who’s there’, and the participants were shown a sixty second long video montage of cluse, where they were supposed to guess who the famous person the montage referred to. Yuuri always enjoyed sitting by his TV and guessing the answers, alone or with friends. He had often dreamt of participating himself. 

Still, as he looked up at the large sign reading ‘Nikiforov’ in bold letters, he wondered if maybe he should have declined after all. 

The producer had called Yuuri three weeks ago, and after he had accepted he had been informed about who he would be partnered up with for the show. His mind had gone absolutely blank. 

“You’re both first timers, so I’m sure you’ll have a good time!” the producer had said in a chipper voice. “I think you will complement each other nicely.” 

Yuuri had managed to hum his way through the rest of the call, but did have enough whits to ask for the information to be emailed to him so he could look it over. It had arrived ten minutes later in his inbox, containing the contact information to the very famous Victor Nikiforov. 

Everyone and their mother knew who Victor Nikiforov was….or at least that's what Phichit said when Yuuri had told him. Yuuri very much did too. It was almost impossible not to know.

Victor Nikiforov was a chef and restaurant owner, as well as a TV-cook, who had hosted several cooking and chef shows through the last seven years. His celebrity career had taken off eight years ago when a documentary filmmaker, who made hour-long episodes in his seven favourite places to eat, made one about Victor’s first restaurant. Victor was harsh, a perfectionist, but not unjust or mean. His good looks, and charm towards the guests, had made the interest in the restaurant skyrocket. Suddenly, Victor was everywhere - in magazines, on talk shows, and on everyone's lips. It didn’t take long before he had his own TV-show, where he went around and tried to help those who had horrendous restaurants to straighten up. Since then, it had been the fast train to fame, and it had only kept going. To Yuuri’s knowledge, and Wikipedia searches, Victor owned sixteen restaurants all over the world, and had been awarded double digits worth of Micheline stars in the last ten years. 

He was of course also stunning. 

Despite Victor’s seemingly amazing tasting pallet, ability to bring crumbling businesses from ruin and coach home cooks to become chefs, he looked like a model. His high cheekbones, sharp jaw and slim nose, paired with his intense blue eyes, silver hair that fell perfectly over one eye and pretty lips, had people swooning left to right. His social media was followed by people not only for the cooking content but for Victor’s social life as well. 

Yuuri was thoroughly intimidated. 

Sure, he too had some accomplishments, but nothing that compared to Victor’s resumé.

Yuuri let out another long sigh. Okay. He had signed up for this, and he would have to see it through. Maybe things would be fine, like the producer had said. Yuuri closed his eyes, and let that become a mantra as he pushed the door to the restaurant in Victor’s home town open, the first he had ever started, and stepped inside. He tried very hard not to think of all the times he had seen Victor yell at someone on TV, or imagine how it would look if he did so at Yuuri, if he pulled the emergency brake of the train cart in the show and answered wrong.

Oh god what had Yuuri gotten himself into. 

His steps echoed through the small lobby of the restaurant, which was completely empty. It was still at least an hour until lunch would start, and there was no one where to greet him by the hostess booth. Yuuri turned instead towards the dining room, where servers were getting the tables ready. A few of them glanced up, but no one really seemed to pay him much attention but instead kept on with their work, happily chatting. 

Yuuri wasn’t fully sure what to do. Victor had asked for Yuuri to meet him there at ten, and Yuuri, who was unfamiliar with this city had arrived a bit too early after taking an early subway. They had been emailing back and forth for a couple of weeks, and since Yuuri had a meeting in the city Victor lived, it seemed appropriate to meet up. 

He approached the open kitchen slowly, and peered around to see if he could spot Victor. The kitchen was sleak, and chefs were moving around in it, but there was no sign of Yuuri’s new teammate. Should he send another email saying he was there? He probably should have thought to get Victor's number. 

“Hello,” someone said beside him, and Yuuri whipped around, only to come face to face with the man he was looking for. “Can I help- oh! Yuuri!”

Victor Nikiforov was dressed in a light blue button up shirt, sleeves rolled up to display his strong forearms, and in a pair of dark slacks. He looked effortlessly gorgeous, as if he merely walked out of bed and got dressed and looked like that. He met Yuuri’s gaze, and he was just as pretty in person as he was on TV. He smiled as they locked eyes, and shifted the box he was carrying over to his left hip. 

“Yes, hi sorry I’m early,” Yuuri excused, but Victor shook his head, extending his right arm towards Yuuri with his hand outstretched. 

“No, no! Sorry I wasn’t in the lobby to meet you. I meant to but I must have lost track of time,” Victor said, and Yuuri took his hand, and shook it once. Victor’s smile stretched wider, and Yuuri shifted in place under his nerves. “Work never slows you know.”

“Oh yeah I know,” Yuuri said with a nod, remembering all the boxes he had hauled for his parents’ restaurant growing up. “Do yo- Can I help you with that?”

Victor looked startled for a moment, but he quickly corrected himself, as a charming smile spread on his lips. “No need,” he assured. “I’ll just put this away and we’ll head out okay. I was thinking we could go to a coffee shop a little way down the block.”

“Sounds good,” Yuuri agreed, and Victor nodded and assured he would be back soon before he disappeared into the kitchen. Yuuri fidgeted in place, and looked out over the restaurant and the bustling of the waiters. It felt odd just standing there, but he couldn’t well jump in to help. His parents' restaurant, despite having Yuuri’s all time favorite dish, wasn’t a Michelin star one after all. He did not want to mess something up. 

“There,” Victor said by his side, and Yuuri fought hard against the impulse to jump out of his skin. Victor had pulled on a dark trench coat, looking much more suited to face the cold October weather. “Ready to go?”

“Yeah,” Yuuri agreed, and then let Victor lead him out from the restaurant. The waiters acknowledged them as they passed, and Victor nodded towards them but said nothing. He held the door open for Yuuri, and then followed him out. 

“This way,” Victor instructed, and then they turned right to walk down the block. “How did finding the restaurant go?”

“Oh it was no trouble,” Yuuri assured. “Since I haven’t been here before the trickiest part was figuring out the subway lines.”

“Yes that’s a labyrinth if I ever saw one,” Victor laughed. “Since I grew up here I never have any trouble, but if I go somewhere else with a different system I’m completely lost. My mothers and I moved here from Saint Petersburg when I was only two.”

“Yes, in Brimdon we have trams, so I’m not used to having to deal with the underground part and all the corridors,” Yuuri admitted, and Victor hummed in understanding. 

“I’ve never been to Brimdon,” Victor said, guiding him to the left across the street and down a new one. “Have you grown up there?”

“No, I’m from a much smaller city. I’ve moved around a bit. I grew up in Alague, but I moved to Drimby for college, and then lived a few years in Nordown, but that was when I mainly worked as a correspondent so I didn’t spend much time there.”   
“That’s so fascinating,” Victor said, and then pointed them towards a small cafe with a green wooden facade. “And very useful too. I’m sure you’ll have a lot to contribute in the games from just having lived in so many places.”

“I’m not sure about that,” Yuuri said, feelings blush seep into his cheeks. “I’ll do my best though.” He looked up, and he met Victor’s gaze. Victor frowned, but then he nodded, before opening the door for them to step in. 

The cafe was warm, and fairly empty. The woman behind the disk greeted Victor by name, and smiled warmly as she prepared their orders. Victor made easy conversation with her, but refused to answer who Yuuri was or how they knew each other, claiming it was a secret. They took their tea and treats--pie for Victor and chocolate cake for Yuuri--and then tucked themselves into a booth in a corner. Yuuri shrugged out of his coat and cupped his tea with his hands, and Victor mimicked him, placing himself opposite Yuuri in the booth. 

“It was really great you could come by Yuuri,” Victor said, and Yuuri hummed as he took a sip of his tea. Victor’s nose was flushed, and it was horribly charming. “I think it’s good for us to get to know each other, before the show you know?

“Yes I agreed,” Yuuri said with a nod. “Have you watched it, the show I mean?” 

“I have,” Victor agreed with a nod of his own. “I don’t watch every episode, and usually see it afterwards since it airs during one of the busiest times for my businesses in general, but it’s always a lot of fun.”

“Yeah that’s fair,” Yuuri agreed with a chuckle. The show aired Friday night, when of course the restaurants would be very busy.

“ I’m not sure I’m equipped to compete though,” Victor said, taking another sip of his tea before meeting Yuuri’s gaze again.   
Yuuri frowned, and put his cup down. “How so?”

“Oh, I know most who come on the show have a rigid university background, and while I’ve suddied a bit of management in college, it’s not like I’m a journalist or author like most contestants in the show are,” Victor said with a shrug, bringing the cup up to his lips again. “I was surprised they called.”

Yuuri blinked in surprise as he tried to find his words. Victor seemed very calm and relaxed, but Yuuri hadn’t expected this kind of attitude from him. Sure, it was rare someone who wasn’t a scholar of some kind competed, but Victor had always struck Yuuri as knowledgeable and confident in the things he took on.

“But you’ve traveled so much, to all over the world with your shows,” Yuuri said, and Victor nodded even as he sipped his tea. “I’m sure you’ll have so much to bring into this.” 

“You flatter me,” Victor said as he put his cup back onto the table. “I will do my best, I promise.” A smile spread on his lips, as if remembering something. “I can be a tad competitive.”

“Oh I can too,” Yuuri admitted with a laugh, and Victor’s smile widened. “I’ll do my best too, and I’m sure you’ll be able to answer much more than you think. I’m not sure I’ll be able to contribute much either.”

Victor tilted his head to the side, and for a moment they simply looked at each other. Victor’s eyes were so blue, and Yuuri fiddled under the intense stare of them. Had he said something wrong? Had he misinterpreted what Victor had said? Victor leaned forward, placing his forearms on top of the table. Yuuri blinked, and then frowned. 

“I’m sorry I-”

“Yuuri,” Victor said at the same time, and they both fell quiet, before they both let out a small laugh. Yuuri shook his head, and Victor took a breath to continue. “According to your Wikipedia page, you’re an award winning journalist. You’ve covered stories from several countries in the world. You co-edit a prestigious paper…I would guess your knowledge would be perfect for a competition such as this.”

“You flatter me,” Yuuri said, echoing Victor’s precious words. He broke away from Victor's gaze to look down into his cup. “Just because I’ve done stories in many cities doesn’t mean I know them. It’s not like I've had the opportunity to tourist.” 

“True,” Victor agreed, and when Yuuri glanced back Victor nodded, his piercing gaze still locked on Yuuri. “Working and vacationing in a place is different. I still think you’re undervaluing yourself. It’s not a very good quality. I believe one should be confident in one's abilities, when it’s clear you have them.”

“I don’t know if I agree,” Yuuri said as he fidgeted in his seat. “I mean, I can’t be sure I have those abilities, can I?”

“Can’t you?” Victor asked, and something gleamed in his eyes. It drew Yuuri in, and without really thinking about it Yuuri leaned in too. “Surely you are aware of your ability to write riveting articles, and to guide others in their writing. You wouldn’t be in the position you are if you didn’t excel at it. You’re working for one of the biggest magazines in the world.” 

“I know I’m not- I know I’m decent and well…apparently people do enjoy what I write. I just don’t really see what’s so different about my writing than anyone else's,” Yuuri pointed out, and while he explained Victor's brows rose. Yuuri felt his cheeks flush, but he didn’t back down. It was true after all. No one had been more surprised than Yuuri when he had been told his piece had been nominated for an award, and then even more so when he won. He had even considered if it was a mistake, and they meant to give it to someone else but messed it up. 

“You don’t?” he asked, and Yuuri shook his head, keeping Victor’s gaze. “Interesting.” 

“What?” Yuuri asked, with a laugh, and Victor smiled which only made Yuuri shake his head. This was going very differently than he had expected.

“Nothing,” Victor said, but there was still something sparkling in his gaze. It was terribly charming. “So, do we have a plan for the competition?” 

They ate their treats and drank their tea as they discussed their game plan. They would both try to do some reading up in areas they felt they were particularly weak, but were both aware that it was near impossible to prepare at all. Victor would be coming down the day before the recording of the first episode to stay at a hotel, and they decided to meet up for dinner just to continue to get to know each other and get warmed up for the game. 

Yuuri became more and more relaxed in Victor’s company, as they shared small pieces of information about themselves with each other as the conversation bleed over from the show to simply chatting. It felt odd, but also nice. Once they had cleared the cups and plates, they pulled their coats on and wrapped their scarfs around their necks, and shuffled out into the cold autumn air. Victor walked him to the subway station instead of turning towards the restaurant, keeping Yuuri company and making sure he didn’t get lost. Conversation flowed fairly easy, and it was only when Yuuri had to turn around and leave that he noticed how at ease he had felt at the end of the end of the conversion. 

“Goodbye Yuuri, see you in a couple of weeks,” Victor said with a smile, and Yuuri smiled back, before he waved.

“Goodbye Victor, see you soon,” he said, and then turned around and headed down into the subway. If Victor’s smile, and flushed nose, and piercing blue eyes stayed in his conscience all the way back to his hotel, and then all the next day as he traveled home as well, Yuuri didn’t tell a soul about it. 

____________________________________

“Did you see the article about your boyfriend?” Phichit asked, flopping himself down into the chair opposite Yuuri very unceremoniously. Yuuri looked up from the other side of his desk, prying his eyes from the computer screen. He met Phichit’s gaze, and his best friend wiggled his eyebrows. Yuuri quirked an eyebrow up in question. 

“Boyfriend?” Yuuri asked, and Phichit grinned that mischievous smile that had so often predated all the things Yuuri had gotten into trouble for in college. “I don’t have one of those.”

“Boyfriend to be then,” Phichit said, waving his hand dismissively. “Andresen wrote a piece on him, I thought that you might have gotten it since you’re now the expert on him.”   
“I still have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about,” Yuuri pointed out, stretching his neck before raising his arms over his head. He had been going over this article for a while now, and while he felt it was a good piece, it was still lacking something. He just hadn’t decided on what yet. 

He looked out of the window of his office, seeing the very grey sky cover the city like a lid. It had yet to snow, but it had been below zero for a few days now so Yuuri hoped it would soon. Everything always felt a little less gloomy when there was white covering the ground. Hopefully it wouldn’t come in the form of a snowstorm however. Two years ago when Yuuri had just moved out and started working here, it had snowed so much Yuuri had been snowed in for several days with nothing but instant noodles. Luckily he did have enough food for Vicchan. 

“Victor Nikiforov,” Phichit said, and Yuuri turned back to him with raised brows. He had sort of forgotten about what they were talking about. 

“What about him?” Yuuri said with a frown and Phichit leveled him with a blank stare. “Sorry, I was thinking about snow.”

“Hm,” Phichit said, looking more worried than annoyed. “You didn’t get the article to fact check for Andersen?”

“I didn’t,” Yuuri said, sitting down in his seat again. “I didn’t tell Minako it was competing with him, just that I was.”   
“She didn’t ask?” Phichit asked, brows rising. “She loves that show just as much as you do.”

“She was busy with other things when I got a chance to bring it up and I think it might have slipped her mind since,” Yuuri said and Phichit smiled. “I’m sure she’ll question me as soon as she has the chance.”

“So you’ve avoided her,” Phichit pointed out. Yuuri sucked in his cheek and said nothing, which only made Phichit laugh. “I’m teasing,” he said and Yuuri couldn’t help but smile then, because it was true. He had been avoiding talking about competing with Victor with basically everyone. The announcements of who would be competing together would be released in a few days, so everyone would know soon.

“You think she would have asked me if she knew? I don’t usually get stories about TV or celebrities or cooking for that matter,” Yuuri said, and Phichit seemed to consider this for a moment before he nodded.

“I mean yeah. I don’t know how she plans things but I would guess she would want someone who knew that person to read through the piece,” Phichit said. “Especially if they knew them like, superficially like you do. You’ve met him so you have a sense of who he is like Anderson doesn’t, but you’re not close,” he added, and then leaned further down into the armchair. “I’m not sure though. I’m in marketing, I don’t know how her mind works. You work closer with her.”

“Still feels like conflict of interest,” Yuuri mumbled, and Phichit’s brows rose. 

“Why?” he asked, clearly picking up on Yuuri’s mood. Crap. He knew him too well.

“It’s nothing,” he said with a shake of head and Phichit narrowed his gaze. Yuuri shook his head and laughed, trying to avert the conversation. Phichit relaxed a bit, but not “Don’t mind me, I’m being silly.”

He didn’t say anything about the vulnerability in Victor when they met, about his doubts. Yuuri was fairly certain he could do a good job of editing or even writing a piece on Victor, but bias was a tricky thing and much laid under the surface, unknown to the person themselves. Perhaps he would be open to it, but not for the sake of knowing Victor. That felt wrong on so several levels. He had never known Minako to act like that, but then again Yuuri wasn’t one with a huge network of contacts. He couldn't remember ever getting an assignment about someone he knew.

Would that happen, after the show? He would meet several celebrities there, both the hosts and the other competitors. 

“I doubt it’ll be a problem Yuuri, it’s not like we write about him that often,” Phichit pointed out, sitting up a little straighter. “Minako probably wouldn’t have asked you anyway.”

“Hm,” Yuuri said, looking down at his computer again as worry stirred in his chest. Phichit was probably right, but he still didn’t like it. He didn’t like it at all. 

____________________________________

It felt odd seeing Victor on TV after that. It was as if it made Yuuri uncomfortable, and he wasn’t fully sure why. Perhaps it was because Victor had seemed so different in person. Yuuri hadn’t thought so much about it when they were sitting face to face, but there was an intensity to him that was different than it was seeing it on screen. Victor had not been harsh in any way, but he had been slightly forceful. Yuuri wasn’t sure why. Victor had seemed very firm in his opinions, but also seemed surprised by Yuuri’s answers. He couldn’t make sense of it. 

Yuuri had avoided questions from his friends about how he had perceived the famous TV chef, with a slight laugh and changing of subject. Yuuri knew it was odd, but in reality he didn’t have a good answer because he still hadn’t figured out what the answer was. Phichit was the one who had gotten the most out of him, and even to him, Yuuri’s best friend, he had to admit that he wasn’t fully sure about Victor’s character yet. 

There had been vulnerability in Victor, or at least Yuuri perceived it as such, when he admitted not to have expected the question to participate and doubting his ability to contribute. It was so different from the confidence he always showed on screen. There had been that drive too, which must have contributed to Victor being so successful. Yet, there was also an easiness, in how he had greeted Yuuri and how he had casually mentioned all of Yuuri’s credentials. Still, it was something off. 

Perhaps this was why Yuuri felt so nervous about seeing him again. They hadn’t talked much since they parted ways, but Victor had emailed a couple of days before the recording of the first episode was to take place, and they had set a time to meet up. They had exchanged phone numbers then as well, and Yuuri was to meet Victor at his hotel so they could walk together to the restaurant. 

Victor had left the booking of a restaurant to Yuuri, which made Yuuri incredibly anxious. How was he to know what would be a good place to take a world renowned chef and TV-celebrity? He could hardly take him to somewhere shabby, but he didn’t want to pick something too fancy either and seem like he was trying too hard. Yuuri had antagonised over the decision over and over, and then decided to go with his favourite place to go for dinner. He worried about the risk of Victor completely pulling it apart, and Yuuri never being able to go there again, but he knew the food there was good, and they would stick out wherever they would go to eat…or at least Victor would. 

Yuuri let out a long sigh, and picked up the pace as he caught sight of the hotel. It was one fairly close to the studio the show was filmed in, but the walk into town wasn’t too bad. It was mid-November, and even if there was a little bit of snow, it was cold enough not to be slush, but dry enough not to feel too bitingly cold.

Yuuri straightened as he reached the hotel, and the automatic glass doors parted for him to step inside. Heat hit his face, and Yuuri let out a slow breath as he walked through the small hallway into the reception. Victor was standing just at the center of it all by a group of armchairs, and he looked up from his phone as Yuuri approached. 

Those intense blue eyes met Yuuri’s, and Yuuri felt a shiver race up his spine. He couldn’t say if it was unpleasant or not. Victor’s face spread into a smile, which made his eyes gleam, and Yuuri smiled back as Victor pocketed his phone. 

“Yuuri! Hi,” Victor greeted, and Yuuri pulled the scarf down from his face, feeling his cheeks heat from the temperature change. 

“Hi,” Yuuri said back, coming to a stop in front of Victor. “Good to see you again.”

“You too,” Victor said, his wide smile still on his face. “You’ve styled your hair differently.”

“Oh,” Yuuri said, self-consciously bringing his hand up to touch his hair, but stopping just before he reached it. “Yeah, I push it back sometimes, when I’m going out or things like that. I’ll probably do it for the show too. My friends say it makes me look better, sharper.”

“Hm,” Victor said, and then tilted his head to the side. “I’ll have to get used to it, then, if I’ll get to see it so much.”

“You talk like it’s a sure thing we’ll get to move on from the first round,” Yuuri laughed, and Victor winked. Yuuri felt even more blood rush to his cheeks, having absolutely nothing to do with the warmth of the room. 

“Oh I’m counting on it,” Victor said and well, that was something completely different from how it had sounded a couple of weeks ago, wasn’t it?

“Have you been studying so hard so you feel so confident?” Yuuri teased, and Victor laughed and shook his head.

“Perhaps I have! It is what we agreed on, no?” he asked, and Yuuri couldn’t help but smile and nod at that. 

“True,” Yuuri said, and then turned back towards the door. “Ready to go?” he asked, and Victor agreed, before pushing away from the armchair he had been leaning against. 

“I’m excited,” Victor said as he fell into step with Yuuri as they walked out, and Yuuri felt the anxiety claw at his chest again. “It’s been a very long time someone has taken me out to a restaurant without the prospect of me investing in it or helping out in some way.”

“Oh,” Yuuri said and blinked, looking over at Victor. “I didn’t think about that. Is it- do people do that?” he asked, and Victor hummed as he nodded. He had his hands pushed into the pockets of his coat, a maroon scarf wrapped around his neck and a dark blue coat covering his frame. His nose pinkened from the cold again. It was very cute. 

“Yes, I mean…it’s not that strange since it’s what I do, or more like what I did in the beginning but it gets very tiresome,” Victor said, even though his steps were light. “Would you tell me about where we’re going?”

“Oh ehm, it’s nothing that special really…I know you’ve eaten at much fancier places and I know you own much fancier places,” Yuuri said, guiding them down narrow alleyways which had cobblestone streets and old yellow buildings that seemed to be leaning in towards each other. 

“Why did you choose it then?” Victor asked, and Yuuri glanced to the side, seeing Victor look his way. 

“It’s my favorite,” Yuuri stated. “I mean, if I go out and eat it’s the place I usually go. It’s not the only place of course, but I like it.”

“What do you like about it?” Victor asked, as Yuuri turned them down another street. The restaurant came into view, or rather the staircase leading down to the cellar floor in which it was located.    
“I like the atmosphere, and the smell of it. The staff is always very kind to everyone, but without feeling like they’re trying too hard. It’s a couple that owns it, and they have three waiters that work there. The food is always good, and made with care. They change the menu often, fitting for the season. I live pretty close by too, and even though they don't really do take-out, if I come by or call ahead they always make sure I can bring something home.”   
“Now you’re heightened my expectations,” Victor said, and Yuuri slowed his steps as they came to the black forge railing leading down. 

“This is it,” Yuuri said as he came to a stop, and Victor looked away from him to look down. Yuuri saw his brows raise in surprise, and Yuuri felt his anxiety rise from his gut up his chest. Then, Victor smiled. 

“Really?” Victor asked, looking back to him with gleaming eyes. 

“Ah, yes,” Yuuri said as he nodded slowly, and Victor reached out to grab his arm as his smile widened. 

“Perfect,” he said, and then led Yuuri down the stairs. 

The black wooden door opened inwards, and they stepped into what was familiar smells of the mineral stone walls, the smoke from the fire in the hearth in the middle of the room which was led up a chimney, the always lingering smell of food. It was small, with only twelve or so tables, all in dark wood. The seats along the walls were benches with sheepskin plaids, and while the facing seat was a dark wooden chair.

“Oh Yuuri,” Victor said, and then turned to him with a smile. 

“Yes,” Yuuri agreed, because he agreed fully with the expression on Victor's face, even if he had in no way expected it. He had expected Victor to be indifferent, or even underwhelmed but not this. 

“Yuuri,” one of the restaurant owners, Kanako, greeted. “Good evening.”   
“Hi, Kanako,” Yuuri said, and he turned to see recognition on her face as she glanced to his side. Yuuri blinked and waited, but nothing more came. “I have a reservation for two?”

“Of course,” she said with a smile, and then nodded towards the coat hangers to the side. “You can shed your coats there and I’ll grab the menus.”

“Thank you,” Yuuri said, and Victor echoed it to his side, before they both stepped to the side and slipped out of their jackets and scarfs. Victor was in a form fitting but soft looking sweater that brought out his eyes and a pair of jeans, and looked very casually handsome, just like last time Yuuri saw him. 

Kanako led them to the table and put the menus before them, before leaving them to ponder over it. Yuuri opened the simple black leather book which was worn around the edges, and looked down at the two single pieces of paper inside - one for food and one for drinks. 

“So, I’m thinking no alcohol tonight?” Yuuri said, and Victor peered up. “I don’t drink that often, and I don’t want to risk it for tomorrow.”   
“Oh, yes that makes sense,” Victor agreed. “These look like good non-alcoholic wines so I’m sure it’ll fit nicely with any of these dishes. How much are we eating?”

“How much do you want to eat?” Yuuri asked, and Victor got something mischievous in his gaze. “What?”

“Do you have somewhere to be after this?” he asked, and Yuuri raised his brows in surprise and shook his head. “So, a full three course meal would work for you?”

“It would,” Yuuri agreed, shuffling in his seat a little. Something was bubbling in his chest, and he didn’t want to acknowledge it. “What do you think looks good?”

“Everything,” Victor said with a wide grin. “But how about we buy different ones and share?”

“O-okay,” Yuuri agreed, and then they pondered over the menus together. There were three of everything, which meant they only had to exclude one appetizer, one main course and one desert. When Kanako came back they had made their choices, and she promised to pair them with fitting wines. 

There weren't that many others in the restaurant, but Yuuri caught several of the other guests glancing their way over and over…or rather Victor’s way. Yuuri was pretty happy he had taken the seat facing the room, so Victor couldn’t see it. 

“So, how do you feel about tomorrow?” Yuuri asked when the first dish came in. Victor leaned in over the plates and looked them over, moving his teeth over his lower lip before putting his fork into one of them. 

“I’ve tried not to think too much about the actual competition,” Victor admitted, bringing his fork to his mouth. Yuuri’s nerves spiked again, and from the corner of his eye he could see Kanako’s wife Satsuki peek out from the kitchen. Yuuri glanced back at Victor who hummed happily, and then brought his fork into the next dish. “I’m not that worried about the TV aspect of it all. I’ve done that countless times. It’s more the questions.”

Yuuri decided to dig in then as well, and smiled happily at the taste. It really was excellent. He wasn’t sure Victor agreed, but he hadn’t thrown anything into a wall yet so at least that was something. “I’m the opposite,” Yuuri admitted, and Victor hummed in understanding. “I’m- I don’t know if I’ll be able to answer things, but I do okay at home on the couch. I just don’t want to get too nervous and clamp up.”

“That makes sense I think,” Victor said, taking another bite from the first dish. “This is really good,” he pointed out almost as an afterthought. “I would too, in the beginning. I’d practice what I would say, how I would act.”

“You did?” Yuuri asked in surprise, and Victor hummed in agreement, taking a sip of his wine. “I’ve never noticed.”

“I wouldn’t say I was the very first time,” Victor said, and Yuuri took a bite of the second plate. “The documentary I mean. I don’t know if you know about it?”

“Yeah, I do,” Yuuri agreed, and Victor frowned for a second before taking another bite. “I haven’t seen it but I’ve heard about it.”

“Yeah so then I was in my element,” Victor said. “I knew the way around my kitchen, I knew my staff, I knew the setting. It was just someone who looked into our world. Everything after that…” Victor trailed off, and took another bite. Yuuri let him take his time, and for a while all there was were both of them eating and Yuuri’s anxiety rising in his stomach. 

“You don’t have to…” Yuuri started and Victor looked up to meet his gaze, making Yuuri quiet. 

“I was so scared,” Victor said with an almost wistful smile, and Yuuri’s heart started pounding a little too roughly in his chest. “It was so much, all the time and it felt like every step was the chance of failure or success. It was immense pressure.” 

“I don’t think the world noticed,” Yuuri said, and a hollow laugh left Victor’s chest. 

Oh. 

Wrong answer. 

“That was the point,” Victor said, and Yuuri frowned and looked down. He wished he could be like that. He struggled with his emotions, and he always felt like they were right on his sleeve for everyone to see all the time. Phichit didn’t agree however. He always said Yuuri clammed up instead, making him unable to reach. Yuuri wasn’t sure which was worse. 

“Victor I’m sorry,” Yuuri said, and Victor shook his head. 

“No, no sorry I shouldn’t have-”

“No!” Yuuri protested a little too loudly, and Victor’s brows rose. “I’m glad you did. I- I’m very glad you did.”

“Okay,” Victor said, but he seemed to relax slightly at Yuuri’s words. “It got better, after a while that got just as much second nature as the cooking and the running of the restaurants. Now it’s easy. I know what to say, how to smile, what to wear.”

“So your suggestion is to try to get some experience before tomorrow?” Yuuri joked, and Victor broke into a smile. It wasn’t as wide as before, but it seemed genuine. 

“Yes, let’s break into a TV station and get you on the air,” Victor laughed and Yuuri did too. The plates were almost empty now, and so where the glasses. 

“I think that would be excellent, because I would probably end up in the newspapers too so I’d get some experience in that as well,” Yuuri said, and Victor giggled. Yuuri was almost startled by it. He had never heard him giggle before, not even on TV. 

“What I wanted to say, very clumsily it seems,” Victor continued. “Is that I’ll do my best to be there to help you, okay? I know we don’t know each other that well, but I want you to turn to me if you feel like you need to, and I will try to help.”

_ If you only could _ , Yuuri though, as memories of his anxiety attacks before going up on stage to present things, or when accepting rewards, or handing in articles, or really just generally in love flooded his mind. It was very sweet of Victor however, and a very kind gesture. He couldn’t know about Yuuri’s weakness.

“Thank you, I’ll keep it in mind,” Yuuri promised. 

“No worries at all,” Victor said, his smile widening now. “We’re a team right?”

“Yes,” Yuuri agreed, which was something he really could agree on. Even if Yuuri was fairly sure Victor couldn’t help him with his anxiety or his may or may not be stage fright, which Yuuri had no plans on telling him about, it was a form of comfort. “A team.”

The dinner progressed, and they talked about easier things. Their dogs and their jobs and friends, and it was a very good time. Yuuri laughed several times, and so did Victor, and when all the food was eaten and the restaurant was clearly closing but had yet to kick them out, Yuuri found that he didn’t really want the evening to end. 

They thanked Kanako and Satsuki on their way out, and Satsuki flushed deep red when Victor complimented her food. Yuuri couldn’t keep the smile off his face as they stepped outside, but didn’t mention it. Victor had seemed to enjoy the dinner, but he didn’t have to say something really. Yuuri was very happy he had. 

“So, what are your plans for the night?” Victor asked, and Yuuri hummed in thought as he considered. “Any adventures?”

“No, not unless we’re breaking into that TV station,” Yuuri laughed and Victor did too. It echoed between the stone walls, and their breaths turned into clouds in the cold air. Once they quieted, Yuuri felt warm. “I’ll go home and take Vicchan out, and then maybe read a bit before bed. I might go for a run, if I can’t sleep.”

“You do that?” Victor asked, wrinkling his nose. “Even when it’s this cold?” Yuuri felt like he kept seeing Victor do new things that he hadn’t noticed before. He hadn’t watched everything Victor had ever made, but there was something about him that always drew Yuuri in. If he did happen to zap into one of his shows he always continued watching, and he had spent time scrolling through Victor’s instagram a few times, even though he rarely used his own. Had Yuuri just not been paying attention before, or was he simply doing it now?

“Yeah, sometimes when I need to tire myself out,” Yuuri admitted. It was true. Tiering his body out often worked well when trying not to let his mind take over, and running was the fastest and easiest way to do that. 

“Sounds awful,” Victor said and shook his head, and Yuuri, warm from the meal, and the laughter, couldn’t help but bump his shoulder to Victor’s. “Hey!”

“What do you do then, to keep in shape?” Yuuri asked with a pointed look. “You work with food, I can’t believe you keep a figure as fit as that without a workout routine.” 

“You’ve been noticing my figure Yuuri?” Victor teased, and Yuuri felt his cheeks flush scarlet, which of course made Victor laugh ever more. Yuuri only shook his head, figuring there was nothing he could say to make this better. “No, I do work out too. I’m not a masochist who likes going running in the ice cold November night.”

“Okay well maybe it’s not as bad as you think!” Yuuri argued. “Have you ever tired?”

“I haven’t,” Victor admitted, and Yuuri scoffed. The city was fairly empty, and even if they met a few people here and there as the streets grew wider, no one bothered them. They made it back to the hotel fairly quickly, and Yuuri paused outside of the front door. Victor turned towards him, and smiled. 

“Thank you for tonight,” Yuuri said as they came face to face. Victor shook his head. 

“No, thank you. It was really a great evening,” he said, and smiled widely. Yuuri nodded, not sure if Victor was only saying it to be polite or if it was true. Yuuri had a good time, and it seemed like Victor did too. 

“So, rest up and I’ll see you at the studio in the morning?” Yuuri asked, and Victor smiled. 

“Yeah, you too okay? No midnight runs. I don’t want you to catch a cold,” Victor said teasingly. 

“That’s a myth,” Yuuri pointed out, and Victor bit into his lower lip as he kept Yuuri’s gaze.

“I know,” he said, and then took a step back before giving a wink. “I’ll see you tomorrow Yuuri.”

“Good night,” Yuuri called, and Victor called it back, before he turned around and headed into the hotel. Yuuri pushed away quickly, so not to linger.

**Author's Note:**

> Next week: The show starts, and Victor and Yuuri grow closer.  
> Want to read it now? Check out this [twitter post](https://twitter.com/mjaoue/status/1217362304045649920?s=20)
> 
> Thank you for reading, please let me know what you think in the comment section or on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/mjaoue)


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